While it's usually difficult to pinpoint a single source of inspiration for any given architect, the occasional building will make it very, very obvious. Whether it be a lovable cartoon cat, a decidedly less lovable cartoon dog, or even a favorite pair of slacks, an odd-ball muse makes for delightfully strange buildings. Ark Nova, the world's first inflatable concert venue and a doppelgänger for a very large plum, is no exception. Created by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and sculptor Anish Kapoor, (no stranger to crazy structures, inflatable or otherwise) the bulbous purple creation takes just two hours to blow up, and fits enough wooden benches (made from tsunami-damaged cedar trees) to seat 500 guests.
Aside from being sturdier and more portable than the average tent, the monster plum—or Italian brandy-soaked cherries, perhaps—is also said to have superior sound quality and will make its debut at Japan's Lucerne Music Festival, which will visit several earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas around the country. And while it's true that this interior shot (?) does show a pretty amazing concert space, anyone whose ever spent the night on an Air mattress should know better than to outright trust the claims of anything inflatable.
·The World's First Inflatable Concert Hall Will Begin Touring Ravaged Areas of Japan [Spoon & Tamago via Gizmodo]
· Nine Nutso Buildings Designed to Look Like Other Things[Curbed National]
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